Thursday

Jul 5, 2018 at 3:35 PMJul 5, 2018 at 3:35 PM

Dog hobble has to be among the worst common names for a pretty plant. Native from Maryland and Virginia to Central Florida, dog hobble (aka coastal dog hobble) is a slow-growing understory plant that can eventually become 3 to 4 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide. A distant relative of azalea plants, dog hobble (Leucothoe axillaris) enjoys similar conditions: shade, organically enriched soil and deep mulch. And — like azaleas — dog hobble isn’t notably drought tolerant.

A valuable plant when used as a tall ground cover in shade, or as a filler where many other plants won’t grow, dog hobble has bronze-colored new growth and fragrant white flowers in spring. Additional color is provided if winters are chilly, when the thick, mature foliage — normally a lustrous green — turns bright red. Plants, difficult to find locally, are available online, as are seeds. The generic name — Leucothoe — honors one of the lovers of the Greek god Apollo.

Grow your own firecrackers

The Fourth of July has passed, but you can enjoy the firecracker plant (Russelia equisetiformis) year-round. A sprawling, airy, herbaceous shrub up to 6 feet tall and 10 feet wide, firecracker plant displays vast numbers of tubular, scarlet or yellow flowers year-round. This clumping, drought-tolerant plant grows in average soil in full or part-day sun.

New Salvia tempts butterflies

Among the newest Salvias is ‘Arctic Blaze Purple,’ a 2-foot-tall perennial that produces clusters of soft-purple blossoms from early spring into December. Tolerant of heat and humidity, this vigorous hybrid grows in full or part-day sun. Once established, ‘Arctic Blaze Purple’ endures drought. Plants are attractive combined with yellow-flowered perennials such as bulbine, Cuban buttercup, yellow shrimp plant and golden plume. Seeds and plants of ‘Arctic Blaze Purple,’ which is part of a series of hybrid Salvias, are available online.

A question of scale

It’s rarely a good idea to install potentially massive plants — say, an arbor vitae or clump of tall-growing bamboo — in front of a home or business. But despite what scale purists contend, using bulky or towering plants behind or beside a small building is fine. Folks who insist that the presence of such plants around small structures creates a troubling disproportion are allowing what they’ve heard or read about scale to overwhelm the eye test: Some of the loveliest settings in Florida are bungalows set amid towering plants.